diff --git a/components/packaging/deb/Makefile b/components/packaging/deb/Makefile
index 200b710102..d42b1b8bec 100644
--- a/components/packaging/deb/Makefile
+++ b/components/packaging/deb/Makefile
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ ENGINE_DIR:=$(CURDIR)/../../engine
 CLI_DIR:=$(CURDIR)/../../cli
 GITCOMMIT?=$(shell cd $(ENGINE_DIR) && git rev-parse --short HEAD)
 VERSION?=0.0.0-dev
+DEB_VERSION=$(shell ./gen-deb-ver $(ENGINE_DIR) $(VERSION))
 DOCKER_EXPERIMENTAL:=0
 CHOWN:=docker run --rm -v $(CURDIR):/v -w /v alpine chown
 
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ raspbian: raspbian-stretch debian-jessie ## build all raspbian deb packages
 ubuntu-xenial: ## build ubuntu xenial deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -45,6 +47,7 @@ ubuntu-xenial: ## build ubuntu xenial deb packages
 ubuntu-trusty: ## build ubuntu trusty deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -58,6 +61,7 @@ ubuntu-trusty: ## build ubuntu trusty deb packages
 ubuntu-artful: ## build ubuntu artful deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -71,6 +75,7 @@ ubuntu-artful: ## build ubuntu artful deb packages
 debian-buster: ## build debian buster deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -84,6 +89,7 @@ debian-buster: ## build debian buster deb packages
 debian-jessie: ## build debian jessie deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -97,6 +103,7 @@ debian-jessie: ## build debian jessie deb packages
 debian-stretch: ## build debian stretch deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -110,6 +117,7 @@ debian-stretch: ## build debian stretch deb packages
 debian-wheezy: ## build debian wheezy deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -123,6 +131,7 @@ debian-wheezy: ## build debian wheezy deb packages
 raspbian-jessie: ## build raspbian jessie deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
@@ -136,6 +145,7 @@ raspbian-jessie: ## build raspbian jessie deb packages
 raspbian-stretch: ## build raspbian stretch deb packages
 	docker build -t debbuild-$@/$(ARCH) -f $(CURDIR)/$@/Dockerfile.$(ARCH) .
 	docker run --rm -i \
+		-e DEB_VERSION=$(DEB_VERSION) \
 		-e VERSION=$(VERSION) \
 		-e DOCKER_GITCOMMIT=$(GITCOMMIT) \
 		-v $(CURDIR)/debbuild/$@:/build \
diff --git a/components/packaging/deb/build-deb b/components/packaging/deb/build-deb
index 713489bad5..179c2b088d 100755
--- a/components/packaging/deb/build-deb
+++ b/components/packaging/deb/build-deb
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -x
 set -e
+
+if [[ -z "$DEB_VERSION" ]]; then
+    echo "DEB_VERSION is required to build deb packages"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
 # I want to rip this install-binaries script out so badly
 cd engine
 TMP_GOPATH="/go" bash hack/dockerfile/install-binaries.sh runc-dynamic containerd-dynamic proxy-dynamic tini
@@ -15,36 +21,13 @@ echo VERSION AAA $VERSION
 VERSION=${VERSION:-$( cat engine/VERSION )}
 
 echo VERSION bbb $VERSION
-export TZ=UTC
 
-tilde='~' # ouch Bash 4.2 vs 4.3, you keel me
-# git running in different directories, backwards compatible too
-GIT_COMMAND="git --git-dir=/root/build-deb/engine/.git --work-tree=/root/build-deb/engine/"
-debVersion="${VERSION//-/$tilde}" # using \~ or '~' here works in 4.3, but not 4.2; just ~ causes $HOME to be inserted, hence the $tilde
-# if we have a "-dev" suffix or have change in Git, let's make this package version more complex so it works better
-if [[ "$VERSION" == *-dev ]]; then
-    # TODO: Re-introduce git commit time into version number
-    todaysDate="$(date +'%Y%m%d.%H%M%S')"
-    # We're guaranteed to have DOCKER_GITCOMMIT in the env
-    gitVersion="git${todaysDate}.0.${DOCKER_GITCOMMIT}"
-    # gitVersion is now something like 'git20150128.112847.0.17e840a'
-    debVersion="$debVersion~$gitVersion"
-
-    # $ dpkg --compare-versions 1.5.0 gt 1.5.0~rc1 && echo true || echo false
-    # true
-    # $ dpkg --compare-versions 1.5.0~rc1 gt 1.5.0~git20150128.112847.17e840a && echo true || echo false
-    # true
-    # $ dpkg --compare-versions 1.5.0~git20150128.112847.17e840a gt 1.5.0~dev~git20150128.112847.17e840a && echo true || echo false
-    # true
-
-    # ie, 1.5.0 > 1.5.0~rc1 > 1.5.0~git20150128.112847.17e840a > 1.5.0~dev~git20150128.112847.17e840a
-fi
 debSource="$(awk -F ': ' '$1 == "Source" { print $2; exit }' debian/control)"
 debMaintainer="$(awk -F ': ' '$1 == "Maintainer" { print $2; exit }' debian/control)"
 debDate="$(date --rfc-2822)"
 
 cat > "debian/changelog" <<-EOF
-$debSource (${debVersion}-0~${DISTRO}) $SUITE; urgency=low
+$debSource (${DEB_VERSION}-0~${DISTRO}) $SUITE; urgency=low
   * Version: $VERSION
  -- $debMaintainer  $debDate
 EOF
diff --git a/components/packaging/deb/gen-deb-ver b/components/packaging/deb/gen-deb-ver
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..2ea9f94b87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/packaging/deb/gen-deb-ver
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+ENGINE_DIR="$1"
+VERSION="$2"
+
+[[ $# < 2 ]] && echo 'not enough args' && exit 1
+
+DATE_COMMAND="date"
+if [[ $(uname) -eq "Darwin" ]]; then
+    DATE_COMMAND="docker run --rm alpine date"
+fi
+
+TZ=UTC
+
+tilde='~' # ouch Bash 4.2 vs 4.3, you keel me
+# git running in different directories, backwards compatible too
+GIT_COMMAND="git -C $ENGINE_DIR"
+debVersion="${VERSION//-/$tilde}" # using \~ or '~' here works in 4.3, but not 4.2; just ~ causes $HOME to be inserted, hence the $tilde
+# if we have a "-dev" suffix or have change in Git, let's make this package version more complex so it works better
+if [[ "$VERSION" == *-dev ]]; then
+    gitUnix="$($GIT_COMMAND log -1 --pretty='%at')"
+    gitDate="$($DATE_COMMAND --date "@$gitUnix" +'%Y%m%d.%H%M%S')"
+    gitCommit="$($GIT_COMMAND log -1 --pretty='%h')"
+    gitVersion="git${gitDate}.0.${gitCommit}"
+    debVersion="$debVersion~$gitVersion"
+
+    # $ dpkg --compare-versions 1.5.0 gt 1.5.0~rc1 && echo true || echo false
+    # true
+    # $ dpkg --compare-versions 1.5.0~rc1 gt 1.5.0~git20150128.112847.17e840a && echo true || echo false
+    # true
+    # $ dpkg --compare-versions 1.5.0~git20150128.112847.17e840a gt 1.5.0~dev~git20150128.112847.17e840a && echo true || echo false
+    # true
+
+    # ie, 1.5.0 > 1.5.0~rc1 > 1.5.0~git20150128.112847.17e840a > 1.5.0~dev~git20150128.112847.17e840a
+fi
+
+echo "$debVersion"